Saturday, April 3, 2010

He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me." He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:37-39)

Shit happens. That may seem like a harsh thing to say following a verse of Scripture, but it's true. Stuff happens in our lives that makes us feel sorrow and distress. Some of it might be of our own doing. Some might be outside of our control.

But what we can control is how we respond to all that stuff. Jesus had some serious shit facing him. How much more serious can it get than death? And he was afraid. There he was in all his Godly humanness and he was still afraid. But he responded not by calling down 12 legions of angels. It was not his sword that cut off the slave's ear. He responded to the shit with acceptance.

On this Easter weekend, I'm trying to remember that. To understand that acceptance doesn't remove fear or turmoil or shit. Acceptance doesn't equal happiness. To accept a situation doesn't mean that we have to be happy about it. I guess it means that we acknowledge its presence in our lives and try to calmly, peacefully bear with it, do what we can to change it -- if there's anything to be done.

I'm feeling like I should say more on this topic. But I'm not sure what else to say, so I'll just accept that and allow you to contribute your own thoughts.

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comments:

I hear you and feel the same way. I wish I could remember the way my pastor phrases it... something along the lines of the hurtful things still hurt, the bad things are still bad... that religion and God and faith don't mean that there won't ever be pain or such again. Because the world is still a broken world. and because pain is still part of living.